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See the original image at cleantechnica.com

Kites Could Become Major Source Of Wind Power

cleantechnica.com — A recent experiment performed by a team at the university used kites to create 10 kW of energy —enough to power 10 homes. This is a not a major breakthrough in and of itself, but the researchers plan to build a larger version of the project called “Laddermill” that would create 50 kW of energy. They eventually want to build a 100 MW version...

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  • sungoddess808, on 08/05/2008, -1/+17I would enjoy finding "greener" ways to power my home. =)
    • GraebbeDigger, on 08/05/2008, -5/+2lol my house is powered by a "green" kind of energy... Nuclear Energy!!! it creates 20 tons of nuclear waste a month, i just trow it on the lake... i mean no one goes there anymore
      • JettaMan, on 08/05/2008, -0/+10Nuclear is about the most efficient and clean form of energy generation we have.
      • Synyk, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1Not only what JettaMan said...but also, I much prefer storing nuclear waste underground than storing greenhouse gases above ground.
    • JettaMan, on 08/05/2008, -4/+1My farts also have about the same probability of becoming a "major source of wind power". In fact, wind power has about as much chance of becoming a viable (economically rational) energy source.
      • VoxRatio, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3Tell that to T. Boone Pickens. Not a guy known for making economically irrational investment decisions. And he's balls deep in wind power.
      • JettaMan, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1His "investment" is likely predicated on the assumption that wind-power will be helped along with lots of government subsidies care of the taxpayer. In other words, my hamster powered generation scheme is also a viable investment if it receives enough government subsidies.
    • Owwmykneecap, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2Other than the waste of course.

      Which we have no idea what to do with.
    • gn0stik, on 08/05/2008, -1/+410kw to power ten homes? My microwave is 1200 watts. 1.2 kw. Stoves etc use massive amounts of power. It's not possible to power an entire home on 1Kw. 5 is very skimpy and 10 is about right for comfortable living.

      You MIGHT be able to power a home on 1kw if you spent many thousands of dollars on low e appliances and substituted or eliminated many conveniences we are accustomed to.

      Personally, I don't really like this idea, as it's relatively low power compared to conventional windmills, and I wouldn't want to have to go fly my kite every time the conditions happened to be just right for it to fall out of the sky. Very impractical IMO.
    • nosamesame, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1Turn your AIR CONDITIONING off and go outside and fly a kite.
  • organicboy, on 08/05/2008, -11/+6This one got submitted yesterday...
    http://digg.com/environment/Giant_kites_to_tap_pow ...
  • lekahe, on 08/05/2008, -0/+12What an interesting idea! I just wonder how they handle the kites? In my experience even two strings can create a mess :)
    • Markpdotcom, on 08/05/2008, -3/+3Exactly... its a ***** stupid idea. If they can't get wind farms to turn all the time, how the hell can they get kites to work all of the time and not just drop out of the sky?
      • intangible, on 08/05/2008, -1/+2mount them on blimps
      • shawnanigans, on 08/06/2008, -0/+1Well, if they weigh less than air they wont fall.
  • EcoBeacon, on 08/05/2008, -0/+7And who could complain about the aesthetics of hundreds of colorful kites floating silently on the wind? Surely not Cape Wind opponents...
  • jaidevk, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2Interesting work done. If this is possible then they have created history.
  • MarkEarhart, on 08/05/2008, -1/+8I would encourage all who want electricity for any purpose to become innovative. One of the first things they will do under martial law will be to withhold access to power to a dissenting populace. Everything they can do to make life more difficult for you they will use against you.
  • prompel, on 08/05/2008, -1/+13Oh, go fly a kite!
  • BoonTobias, on 08/05/2008, -3/+7americans don't know how much kites own, in all over asia that ***** is serious business in the afternoons.
    kite battles are way more fun than most sports/games
    • Hello1024, on 08/06/2008, -0/+1How do you play exactly?

      I'm just imagining lots of twisted knotted strings...
  • MaryCait, on 08/05/2008, -2/+2whoooo baby this would work GREAT where I'm from....

    wait, no, there is such thing as too much wind :(

    kite would be fukt...
  • Rewebbed, on 08/05/2008, -3/+11IN OTHER NEWS:
    Delft University repeatedly struck by lightning.
    • ChromaVita, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2Which increased the amount of electricity that the kites generated 1000 fold.
  • tadarnold, on 08/05/2008, -8/+4Sorry, this just doesn't seem practical. So the kite string spins a generator while climbing... what then? You can only have so much string. Pulling the kite back down to launch it again will take as much energy as you gained by launching it in the first place. Unless you just cut the kites loose once you run out of string... that's a good idea... thousands of large kites with long strings falling into traffic, homes, electric lines, etc...

    Geesh... get real!
    • borez, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1"The kite is attached to a generator by a string; it generates power by pulling the string and turning the generator as the wind lifts it higher in the sky. Study leader Wubbo Ockels (who’s a former astronaut) says he then turns the kite so that it loses lift and descends, allowing the process to repeat."

      Still sounds pretty impractical though.
    • BoneheadFarker, on 08/05/2008, -0/+6Or...if you read the article, you'd know that they generate energy when the wind pulls on the kite, and then change the angle of the kite so that it lowers and starts the whole process again. It doesn't spin. It just goes constantly up and down, back and forth...
  • ozziegt, on 08/05/2008, -1/+3This article is useless without pics.
  • radiofrequency, on 08/05/2008, -2/+1So what's going to be the next hip source of energy when giant kites powering the big cities block our view of the sky?
  • abajaj2280, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3Now's the perfect time to become a kite runner.
  • toejuiceDCUP, on 08/05/2008, -7/+3dumb
  • pjr12345, on 08/05/2008, -1/+5I can't wait to see all the tinfoil-hatted freaks tying kites to their hybrids.
  • neotrantor, on 08/05/2008, -6/+5will they be strung together with hope and love?

    ***** hippies.
    • pjr12345, on 08/05/2008, -5/+3No. They'll use hope and change, and changeful hope, the hopefulness of change, changing hope, and even more!

      GObama!
    • wunksta, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1hah you bitch, i save money on electricity
  • erichw1504, on 08/05/2008, -1/+2http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Kite-Out-of-a-Plasti ...
  • barnes, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3Coming from a kitesurfer: I love the fact people are starting to appreciate kites as much as I do!
    • MrChunks, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I wouldn't admit you're a kite surfer. In the future, kite surfers will be rounded up like sheep and forced to work on the kites, providing energy for the Overlords (who I, for one, welcome).
  • Seemefearme, on 08/05/2008, -2/+6For some reason I saw this as Kitties Could Become Major Source of Wind Power. I need to stop smoking.
    • stagmire, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4At first glance I thought it was a derogatory reference to jews.
    • Suprfire, on 08/06/2008, -0/+2Exactly what i saw as well. Geez , poor kitties
  • Omadhaun, on 08/05/2008, -1/+4Wow, I totally thought it said "Kittens Could Become Major Source of Wind Power" and I expected the link to go to TheOnion.com
  • byrc, on 08/05/2008, -2/+5I thought it said kitties, and I got so excited. ***** lame ass kites.. I want kitty generated power!
    • pjr12345, on 08/05/2008, -2/+2The problem with kitty power is the smell of the burning carcasses.
  • nastronomical, on 08/05/2008, -3/+4and the parade of utter useless gimmicks continues....While the rest of the world embraces nuclear and clean coal because it has passed if not surpassed the cost benefit analysis. We continue to drudge up total ***** in the hopes of defeating logic and rational. America is ***** if we continue down this road of ignorance and snake oil selling charlatans.
    • inboxnews, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2That reminds me, I have to check my tires!
  • BXRWXR, on 08/05/2008, -5/+2I don't get it. What do Jews have to do with wind power?

    Is that supposed to be some kind of 'big nose' joke or something?
    • zadadka, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1That's kites with a "t" not a "k"...

      Ignorance, racism and arrogance, all in the same package....how energy efficient of you.
      • MrChunks, on 08/05/2008, -1/+0Wow.. you're not very sharp. I think he fully well knew it's kikes with a k, not a t. He was being humourous. Oh and where was the arrogance?

        Lack of humour, lack of sharpness and arrogance, all in the same comment... how energy efficient of YOU.
    • docbob84, on 08/05/2008, -0/+0Think of a coal power plant...
  • sadatoni, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1Think of all the windless days...
    • T440, on 08/05/2008, -1/+2I don't think that's really a problem since most high altitude wind generators use the jet streams.
  • T440, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2Mr. Cringely did an article about this last year. He talked about the first person who came up with the idea, the company Makani Power who is currently working on this technology and the fact that Google invested $10 million into that company. Good read if anyone is interested:

    http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_200 ...

  • leerayIG88, on 08/05/2008, -1/+5Charlie Brown: You stupid tree! If you don't stop biting my kite, I'll bite *you*!
    Charlie Brown: All right... you asked for it!
    [Grabs hold of the tree, opening his jaws]
  • Gemfinder, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1Let's go fly a kite/Up to the highest height/Let's go fly a kite and sennnnnd — it — sssssssoarrrrrrr-ing...
    Anyone who's flown one of those megakites like delta-conynes or gone kite-buggying knows the POWER of those things.
    The better news about this discovery is that 10kW would power a whole block of houses.
    Hooray for tethered aviation! :)
  • beesaretasty, on 08/05/2008, -0/+2They're jumping from powering 10 homes to a plan that could power 50 homes then suddenly they're thinking 100,000 homes. Why not a million?
  • bincoder, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4Turbines are better, at least they don't take off across the state caught up in wind and need to be retrieved in some as of yet unknown way.
    They just spin and stay in the yard, like a good puppy.
    • wunksta, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1lots of stuff, eventually could put lots of energy into the grid.
  • zadadka, on 08/05/2008, -1/+3Does anyone else see the irony of hundreds (thousands?) of PC's burning energy so their operators can Digg down such articles?
    • wunksta, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1theres a lot of places that utilize green energy and many consumers have been implementing their own green sources of energy.
      broad generalizations are stupid.
    • nosamesame, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1I cry every time I press a key and waste .000005 amps.

      Forgive me Father Al, please dont send me to Manbearpig hell.
      • zadadka, on 08/06/2008, -0/+1Huh?....you think your pc only uses electricity when you press a key....?
  • jswanner, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3website about Laddermill: http://www.ockels.nl/
  • Whorebane, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1Or we could just use nuclear energy.
  • digdug135, on 08/05/2008, -3/+3Why does everyone with a "great" idea for alternative power want a whole pile of money from the government to develop it? If the idea is so wonderful, it should be profitable without a subsidy.
    • wunksta, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1true. we should stop subsidizing oil as well eh? let the markets decide.
  • Loornadune, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4I ***** love kites!
    • invinciblechunk, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1***** yeah braw! Kites are all up in that *****!
  • slickrick2k1, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3My time to shine!

    /kiteman
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_Man
  • synthpop, on 08/05/2008, -2/+2a new source of energy, or a deadly new Al-Queda weapon?

    we report, you decide
  • i0110110, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1I just have one question:
    If the power driving a kite only pulls it one way (wind in a singular direction), how does this continuously turn a generator?
  • TWOBUCK40, on 08/05/2008, -2/+0WTF ever - go fly a kite environuts
    • wunksta, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1right, harvesting energy for free makes you an "environut".
  • Narishma, on 08/05/2008, -1/+2Meh I read that as Kitties Could Become Major Source of Wind Power...
  • tablatronix, on 08/05/2008, -1/+1How the hell do you loop wings around a wheel ?
  • cuttersblade, on 08/05/2008, -1/+0What happens when it gets to the end of the string?
  • robfrye, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1dugg for having a project leader named Wubbo
  • Fleagleman, on 08/05/2008, -0/+0How dare you! That's so offensive! I bet you think you're so cool throwing out racial slu-


    ...oh, KITES.
  • skipthefrog, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1That's kind of cool. It would look nicer than windmills I suppose. I wonder how many kites it would take though.
  • ChayD, on 08/06/2008, -0/+1How can 10kW power ten homes? An electric kettle alone takes close to 3kW. Unless they're assuming any high wattage appliances have been replaced with renewable sources like wood burning stoves and solar heating.
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